Our good friends , Brad & Linda , longtime Ceili of the Valley members celebrated their 40th Anniversary. You have probably seen Brad and Linda at our Ceili’s and some of our events. Brad has been our sound person for many years and has also provided traditional Irish music at our Ceili’s and events. Linda has also helped us out with numerous events.

Some Ceili of the Valley folks did a caravan drive-by on Sunday, May 31st to wish them Happy Anniversary. We were lucky enough to be offered cake so we stopped by and visited in physical distancing style. Ceili of the Valley Society has been so honored to have them as part of our family.

Ceili of the Valley Society is so lucky that our teacher Elisa also teaches Scottish Country Dance as well as Irish Social Dance.

Here’s a chance to learn a little Scottish Country dance. RSCDS is doing an online class each week.

Join a different RSCDS Teacher each week for a mixture of basic movements, warm ups, technique and steps to keep you active. Live every Wednesday at 19:00 UK time, the class will give you the chance to dance with RSCDS members around the world at the same time.

Each week, the classes will be recorded and shared through Dance Scottish At Home for those who can’t make a Wednesday evening, especially for those in a different time zone.

Hosted on Zoom, the classes will give you live video and instruction, with the opportunity to post written Q&As throughout the session, which can be answered at the end of class. You can also post messages on the ‘Chat’ area of the Webinar to other dancers.

Link to join RSCDS Online Class:
https://zoom.us/j/780126836

The first class will be on Wednesday 8^th April at 19:00 GMT (12:00 pm PT). It may take a few minutes for everyone to access Zoom, especially for the first time, so please join at 7 (12:00 pm PT) and class will start after approximately 5 minutes.
Notes: You will need to register your name and an email address, but that should take you straight into the session. Your camera and microphone will not be active.

7^th Annual St. Patrick’s Day Walk-About

Ceili of the Valley Society and Willamette Valley Pipes and Drums lead the charge of everything Irish and GREEN on March 14th and hit the sidewalks for a walk-about through downtown Salem.  A few wee folks joined in our last event, St. Patrick’s Day Walk-About, before the Coronavirus “Stay Home, Save Lives” order.

Slainte – Celebrating Celtic Cultures Exhibit

Showing through February 19, 2020 At Pringle Park Plaza, 390 Liberty St SE, Salem

This exhibit is an exploration of the seven Celtic cultures: Brittany, Cornwall, Galicia, Ireland, Isle of Mann, Scotland & Wales through customs, celebrations and more.

SALEM SAMHAIN FESTIVAL

A great way to spend a Saturday, even if you don’t have a Celtic bone in your body. The enticing aromas of Celtic food, particularly cock-a-leeky and bubble and squeak soup, permeated the venue but sold out too quickly. It was truly first come, first served. Multiple vendors displayed their wares so if you were searching for a wee gift for Christmas you would have had a good selection. The jewelry was particularly outstanding and such a large selection of Celtic items wouldn’t be found in any store. Perhaps it could be found online but at the festival you could see and feel it. Talent galore was on display, and not just in the jewelry craft. Some of our members were performing, including Christina and Victoria White who demonstrated Irish step dancing, and Maldon and Phil Meehan who demonstrated sean nos dancing. Newest AICS member Mary Carey was also on stage with an Irish song and the young dancers from the Oregon Irish Dance Academy demonstrated how much they have learned, to the delight of parents and onlookers.

A dedicated group of AICS members worked our tables, led by Julie and Jim O’Connell pictured below. Julie cleverly made some delicious scones to attract browsers to our table – and it worked! As you can see in the background of the photo numerous AICS events were highlighted and enticed Comhaltas member Mary Carey, seated at the next table, to join. Early birds Jim and Julie were reinforced by Louise Martell and Mary Rose Kerg who stayed until the remains of the day were done. A truly enjoyable and informative day.

World Beat

 

Salem Art Fair & Festival – At the Cultural Community

Keep your dancing shoes on! Ceili of the Valley Society holds their 2nd Friday Ceili’s all summer long at the air-conditioned VFW Hall!!

Many friends came to our March Ceili mor and Raffle to join in dancing with music provided by amazing musicians: Jake Greico, Brian O’ hAirt, and Nancy Conescu.

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Ceili of the Valley will be out and about.

There will be a walk-about, March 16th, starting at the carousel at Salem Riverfront Park. Wee folks, leprechauns, and pets will leave promptly at 12:00 noon to walk-about Salem. Join this fun!

Ceili of the Valley will also be spreading fun and performing at: Hallman Elementary, McMinnville Brookdale Senior Living, Windsor Health & Rehabilitation, Cedar Village, Camp Fire Group, Salem & Albany Bonaventure, and Montessori .